Can you believe it? Yes, those are The Roots packed behind the Tiny Desk. Black Thought, Questlove and the crew carved out a few hours in their hectic Tonight Show schedule to visit NPR headquarters in Washington D.C. Why travel four hours for a 12-minute concert when you own the late-night airwaves? The answer can be found in the lyrics to The Roots’ new song, “It Ain’t Fair.” Armed with the incredible vocalist Bilal, The Roots performed the signature track from Detroit, a film about the race riots in 1967. “It Ain’t Fair” glares unflinchingly, takes a knee and raises a fist against the societal construct that has systematically denied equality of experience to those “presumed inferior,” to quote one of Bilal’s verses. And it achieves all this while covering its heart with its right hand. This reflective hymn tenderly yanks your heart strings and offers a window into the ethos of those who would like to stand for the flag but cannot in good principle, lest these same evils continue to exist. Those lucky enough to be in the Tiny Desk audience witnessed masters at work. Black Thought is truly one of the most intelligent emcees ever, and his razor-sharp lyricism was on full display. Questlove, a musical and cultural historian nonpareil, was both a metronomical and moral anchor. It felt like the culmination of decades of academic rigor and boom-bap sessions, fittingly backed by a seven-piece horn section. Bilal’s falsetto-laced vocals and warm resonance evoked powerful messaging reminiscent

Black Thought and Method Man star in HBO’s new series “The Deuce”, as Reggie Love and Rodney, two pimps in New York City during the 1970’s and 80’s when prostitution was at its peak and pornography was building in the U.S. The two talk about the show and their character development. They also describe how it is working with a cast that features James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Margarita Levieva. “The Deuce” airs on Sundays at 9 pm on HBO. Meth and Black Thought also collab for an epic hip-hop moment with one of the best cyphers of the year!

The Roots and Bilal team up for a new song titled “It Ain’t Fair”. Taken from the “Detroit” movie soundtrack. “This song is the slow burning fire inside all of our souls,” Roots drummer Questlove tells Rolling Stone. “Watching the movie [Detroit] clearly shows that life in 1967 isn’t that much different in 2017 or 1897 for that matter. We wanted to hit many a bird with one stone: Humanize the pain, confusion and sadness. But also express the overdue anger. Not only to the powers that be but also to those on the sideline that can afford to turn the other way because it doesn’t effect them at the moment.” Press play on “It Ain’t Fair” below.

What does it mean to “RISE UP”? What does it mean to RESIST? Produced by J. Period, this epic single brings together an historic lineup of artists — Black Thought of The Roots, Posdnuos of De La Soul, Pharoahe Monch & Joss Stone — to explore the meaning of “resistance” and the state of our Union. Additional production and instrumentation from Stro Elliot (Playlist Retreat), Larrance Dobson (1500 Or Nothin, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland) and Jesse Blum (Misterwives). “RISE UP” EP available May 2.

The Roots featuring Jidenna, “Hamilton’s” Daveed Diggs, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Michael B. Jordan run through the the past four decades of NBA Greatness. Check out John Legend’s halftime performance from the 2017 NBA All-Star Game after the break.